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A new coal mine in Central Queensland will create more than 100 local jobs as Carabella Resources pushes ahead with plans to go from explorer to producer.

Managing director of the company Anthony Quin spoke at a community meeting in the township of Bluff last week, outlining plans to produce 1.2 million tonnes of PCI coal a year from the open cut operation.

Quin said the Bluff Project had a focus on local employment with the operation, set to come on line from 2014, to be free from FIFO, CQ News reported.

"We are very keen to have a local and regional focus, so we want to see local and regional jobs and local and regional procurement," Quin said.

"We expect to create over 100 jobs at Bluff… ideally we would like to see as many people in the local area being part of our mining operation. That's certainly our focus.”

The company is in talks with the Central Highlands Development Corporation to develop a register of local jobs and procurement opportunities.

Carabella has already short-listed contractors to run the site and the coal handling and preparation plant.

Quin said the mine will inject billions of dollars into the region throughout its lifespan.

"Procurement-wise, we expect over the life of the mine to spend in excess of $1 billion, so I think that is going to generate some good procurement opportunities,” Quin said.

"We will set up the register shortly and people who are interested can start putting their names or businesses forward to say here are some services we have to offer.

"We see this as about opportunity and regional development."

The company the project has an estimated start-up cost of $35 million, with a 10 to 15 year mine life.

The project is located immediately adjacent to the Blackwater to Gladstone rail way line, with Carabella in capacity talks with the Port of Gladstone.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) robotics researchers say they have developed new technology to equip underground mining vehicles to navigate autonomously through dust, camera blur and bad lighting.